Eye of the Beast
by SanGate
Summary: The team explores a new planet, but it turns out the planet is not so uninhabited as they first thought. Adventure/Angst/Hurt/Team. All chapters uploaded and complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Eye of the Beast

**Tagline**: The team explores a new planet, but it turns out the planet is not so uninhabited as they first thought.

**Tags**: Adventure/Angst/Hurt/Team  
**Characters**: Weir, Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, McKay, Beckett  
**Rated**: T  
**Chapters**: 9, but complete and all posted  
**Words**: 8,460

**Eye of the Beast**

**Chapter 1**

The swirling sound of the engaging wormhole echoed through the control room. The blue light reflected on the walls and people there.

"Send the MALP through." Doctor Elizabeth Weir stood behind Chuck the technician as he ordered the MALP to enter the event horizon. Slowly it made its way through the gate.

"MALP arriving at destination in five… four… three… two… one. Receiving MALP telemetry."

Weir turned around towards the screen hanging on the Atlantis wall. Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Doctor Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex stood next to her watching. This would be their next mission, so they wanted to see what lay ahead of them.

"MALP seems to have trouble moving about, M'am. I can't make it shift forward. Seems the surface or those trees are blocking its way." Chuck continued pressing buttons on the panel.

"That's a lot of trees," McKay was a star in stating the obvious. "We won't be able to manoeuvre a Jumper on that planet." And he was practical.

The MALP showed a dense forest. All they saw were branches, leaves and trunks, all around. They could hear the MALP scrape trees and branches as it tried to move forward, to no avail.

"Can you show the sky?" Sheppard wanted to know how far those trees reached. A jumper was big and heavy. It might get through.

Chuck let the MALP's eye turn upwards. Sheppard didn't like what he saw. The tallest trees seemed to grow far into the sky, and they were really quite large. On earth they must have been registered as one of the largest trees around. "There's no way we can explore the planet by Jumper. We'll have to walk."

Behind his back, McKay rolled his eyes, but Teyla and Ronon got more excited.

"I'm afraid you're right," Weir concurred. "I'm going to let our botanist department take a look at those trees and plants. We can never be too careful." With that she turned around and made her way to Kleinsmann at another panel to call for the botanists. "What about the other readings?"

"All inhabitable. Normal earth temperature and breathable air."

"I bet with all those plants and trees." McKay didn't look comfortable.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The wind blew softly through their hair, as Lt. Col. Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, and Ronon Dex walked through the forest. The temperature was quite nice, Sheppard thought. Not too warm, not too cold. He looked around, and stepped over a plant that looked like a very small pyramid. It was triangular, and on its tip grew a yellow flower with orange petals on it. Its leaves were green. At least something on it that he recognised. He didn't like foreign flora. You never knew what they were really up to. Flesh eating plants often looked attractive too.

"These trees are huge!" McKay's statement was met with silence. The scientist gazed up at the trees. They really were huge. He estimated the stumps at five metres in diameter. He could hardly see any sky through the thick cloud of leaves and branches that hung quite low, only a little over their heads. He knew it still had to be day, as it seemed quite light in the forest. He estimated the trees at about a few dozen metres high. And old. They had to have been here for ages.

The team had been walking on P4M-897 for a bout two hours now, but they had not gotten far. McKay checked the life signs detector regularly, but there was no sign of human life yet. They had come by foot when the MALP had showed a thick forest and no way for the jumper to get through. Teyla always felt some delight within when it turned out that they had to explore a planet the old fashioned way. She loved fresh air and sound of birds and other animals. It was a sensation she did not get on Atlantis and did not get from a flight in the jumper over a planet. Even though they landed the jumper often to talk to the locals, walking was her way of doing things. The only downside to this was that they did not know if there even were locals to talk to.

They had probably walked for three miles, but hadn't seen anything of interest. It was slow going with all the trees and bushes without a path leading them anywhere. They could only see trees and more trees, as far as their eyes could see. Which wasn't very far in all fairness.

The bird sang a beautiful song, Teyla thought. She wondered how they looked, but could not spot any as she looked up. Walking along, she kept her ears fixated on both the birds and any unfamiliar sound. The ancients had not put a gate here for no reason, even though there was no path to be seen.

Meanwhile, Ronon and Sheppard, being aware of this as well, kept their eye out for anything that moved, which were mostly rustling leaves and the occasional rodent scurrying away from them into the forest.

"Still no life signs, Rodney?" Sheppard wanted to know.

"Nothing. Not one blip. Well, except for us." McKay checked his life signs detector. "You sure you'll remember where we came from?" McKay turned to Ronon.

"Yeah. After seven years of running, I know how to find my way on an alien planet," Ronon responded, pushing away branches to let the rest through. Because of the lack of a path, they followed the most open spaces in the forest to move forward. Ronon made sure they didn't move in circles by leading the way.

"Of course, I know that. But this forest seems a little dense, don't you think? We could get lost, and Atlantis wouldn't be able to send help for us. No jumper could get through these trees. McKay always had his doomsday mood with him on every mission.

"Well, lots of fruit on the bushes to eat. Those rat things might taste great, and I bet it rains on occasion too. So nothing to worry about I'd say." Sheppard turned around to McKay with a slight smirk on his face.

"Oh, haha." McKay decided to let it drop. He knew he'd loose the bickering battle anyway.

Even though the forest was dense, they could get through without needing an ax. The forest changed every now and then. The thickness changed, the trees themselves changed, and the colour of the plants changed. Teyla also sensed it: the bird's song altered along the way. She couldn't quite put her finger on the mood. It was now neither cheerful nor sad. The tunes lost their random rhythm, and turned into a quick repeating one. It made her feel slightly nervous.

Ronon sensed it too. He slowed down his pace. His ears pitched towards the rustle of leaves behind them. Swiftly Sheppard, Teyla, and he turned around and drew their guns. McKay took a little longer and pulled nearly an entire bush with him as he sprawled his right arm towards his gun holster and grabbed it. Behind Teyla a creature appeared from behind a bush. It resembled a bear in looks and form, a hog in size, but with the teeth of a tiger. It ruffled its paws on the ground before it struck at Teyla with his claws forward. Then a loud sound echoed through the forest, followed by a low thud as the beast hit the ground with its body. Teyla put her gun back.

"Oh my God, what is that?" McKay took a small step forward and leant over the creature from a distance to take a closer look at its teeth.

"I have never seen a creature like this before," Teyla commented.

"Me neither." Ronon kneeled next to it and opened the beast's mouth.

"Some teeth," Sheppard said as he examined the creature by walking around it and touching its fur.

"Well, I think we've seen enough, don't you think?" McKay got nervous.

"I think we should go back too, Colonel." Teyla looked around and felt uneasy.

Sheppard looked up and before he could draw his gun, it jumped at him. A yell escaped from him, as the beast bit him in his right shoulder and pushed him over. Sheppard fell backwards on the already dead animal, and felt a jolt of pain in his lower back. He let out another shout, heard another gunshot and felt the creature fall flat on top of his chest.

"Ooph!" Sheppard let out a deep breath, as he felt the last strain of air leave his body. His ribs slightly crackled beneath the weight of the beast. Ronon, who had been tossed aside when the second beast attacked, tried to push the animal off. "Sheppard! Sheppard, stay with us!"

McKay helped Ronon, while Teyla immediately attended to Sheppard's shoulder wound. "Rodney, your backpack." The two of them managed to push the beast off of Sheppard, and McKay handed Teyla his backpack with the medical kit.

Meanwhile, Sheppard could breathe again, which was in his current situation at least something. The wound in his shoulder hurt like hell, but his back didn't feel all that great either.

"Can you…" He tried to make them move him. Not being able to find enough strength to form the words, he pushed himself off the ground. Or at least he tried to. It was a failed attempt. With a loud grumble, he fell back on the dead animal. Another jolt of pain ran through his spine.

"Lay still, Colonel!" Teyla rummaged through the backpack to find the right things to clean the wound with.

"My… back… hurts." It took a while for Sheppard to form the words.

"Oh, he's lying on the other one!" McKay suddenly understood the problem.

"We have to watch out for more of these creatures." Ronon stood up and looked around the area, but didn't see much through the leaves and bushes. An ideal place for those things to attack people. No wonder no one lived here.

Teyla and McKay slowly and gently lifted Sheppard, as Ronon duck under him and pulled the beast away from underneath him. As quickly as he moved, he stood up again with his gun ready. Teyla wondered if he had it to stun or to kill, but decided not to ask.

She took off her jacket and shoved it under Sheppard's head. He had his eyes closed, and let out sharp breaths. He was in pain.

"John, open your eyes. I need you to stay awake. John!" Teyla squeezed his arm. His eyes shot open, letting out another moan.

"Rodney, help me. John, lay still! I need to clean the wound, and this will hurt a bit." As if he didn't know that.

Teyla pulled out a bottle with liquid from the backpack and some bandages.

"I can carry him." Ronon looked down on Sheppard before his eyes shot back to the forest.

"No. His back is hurt as well, and we don't know how badly. We're going to need a stretcher." Teyla poured the liquid on the bandage. She hesitated before touching the wound.

"Sir, you better hold on to something." Teyla looked at McKay, who frowned, but offered the Colonel his hand nonetheless. Sheppard grabbed it.

As soon as Teyla touched the wound with the bandage, Sheppard flinched and squeezed Rodney's hand.

"Almost done, John." To distract him, she spoke to Ronon. "Do you see any more?"

"No. I think it was a pair." Ronon turned to Sheppard. The coast seemed clear for the moment.

"Good. Now, I'll bandage the wound. Then you and McKay have to go and look for wood to make a stretcher. I'll stay with the Colonel." Teyla pulled more bandages from the backpack, and some tape.

"Shouldn't we go back to the gate and ask for a proper stretcher?" McKay didn't feel for making a wonky stretcher and walk all the way back with it to the gate, especially not with the beasts on their tale.

"That way we'd loose valuable time. It would take an hour to get back to the gate, another two to get the Colonel back to the infirmary. We have no idea what these creatures are or what that bite might have done." McKay gave Teyla a frightened look. "We don't know Rodney. It might be just the bite. We have no time to loose." She looked at him with intensity. He nodded.

"Hear that, Sheppard? We'll get you out of here in no time. We just need to find some sticks and tie them together. Hour tops. Then we can go back." McKay tapped him on his good shoulder.

Still breathing heavily, Sheppard dared to speak: "Rodney, you were never good at talking to a man in pain, neither to yourself. Go and fetch wood for my stretcher, will you?" His face twitched and grimaced.

" I'm done. Now try and relax, Colonel. Can I help with your back?" Teyla looked at McKay and Ronon as they left their position. "Stay in contact." She looked slightly worried. John's accident had not eased her mood.

"A back rub would be nice. And I'm itchy. Right under my third vertebrae." He even tried to move his hand behind his back, but disagreed with himself quite quickly. "Ow."

Teyla smiled to herself. At least he was still enough with her to joke around.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

McKay and Ronon made their way through the dense forest once again. It struck them how little wood there was on the ground. It was leaves for the most part and the occasional twig. They wouldn't be able to make a proper stretcher out of twigs. McKay had contacted Teyla and let her know they would have to think of a different way of chopping them while Ronon looked ahead for usable trees.

"This is useless. You didn't bring your knife, did you?" McKay didn't even look at Ronon for his reply. Until he heard the sound of chopping. "But of course you did. I should have known." McKay decided to stand behind Ronon and be the watch for those beasts.

"I saw the forest on the feed coming from the MALP and figured a good knife would be useful." Ronon continued his chopping for a good branch of a normal sizeable tree.

"Glad you did, Ronon. Glad you did." McKay's eyes shifted from left to right and back as he walked around the large tree. The branches hung till two meters from the ground, and even though Ronon almost reached that height, it took him some effort to chop the large branch, as he had to reach above his head.

"Need help?" McKay saw Ronon struggle.

"No." Always as short as needed, especially in situations like these.

"Okay. I'll just watch out for those beasts then while you chop-chop." McKay met the words with short laughter, and a chopping motion with his gun in one hand. "Right." He always needed to distract himself with talking whenever he felt nervous. Or eating. But he left his bag with Teyla. He did have some energy bars in his tac-vest though. But that meant he had to put his gun back. No way he would do that. "You don't happen to have another knife hidden somewhere, do you?" McKay saw leaves rustle on the left of their spot, and saw one of those rodents run up to them up into the tree.

"No." Ronon was almost through.

"Right." McKay checked the life signs detector again. He knew it didn't usually show animals, but this one was huge, so who knew. Looking at it, he let out a yell and started shooting in the air.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teyla ripped a piece of cloth from her trousers and poured water on it. She dabbed Sheppard's forehead. Ronon and McKay had been gone for twenty minutes and had let her know it might take them a while since they had to chop it all themselves. She hoped they would hurry, since she had her own problems. She had heard another growl right after McKay and Ronon had left, but hadn't been able to kill it. As the unseen approach of the second animal already proved to her, they were cunning animals. On top of that, Sheppard's condition seemed to have rapidly worsened. He was sweating heavily, and his breath unsteady. She knew there wasn't much she could do.

He wasn't talking anymore and had trouble staying awake. He was in pain from his back and the wound, but by now every muscle hurt. And his skin too. It was a stinging pain, reaching from his little toe up to the last hair root on his head, and it kept getting worse. He lay as still as possible, looking Teyla in the eye every now and then to let her know he was still awake. Or she nudged him to keep him with her. In any case, he knew it didn't look good for him at the moment.

Teyla crawled to one of the creatures and opened its mouth, still listening to every strange noise she might hear. Then she noticed the birds were quiet. She stood up and turned around at the spot, focusing on everything in her sight, drawing her gun.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ronon heard noises above him. It seemed McKay did too, as they both looked up at the same moment. Both saw rushing figures flying down from the trees towards them. They fell to the ground and before either could reach for their gun, they were grabbed fiercely and pushed face down.

"Hey! We're just trying to help our friend! He's hurt. We have to help him. Hey!" McKay was shouting his lungs out, while Ronon was kicking and struggling to loosen himself from the grip of his capturer. Immediately both were gagged and their hands tied together. They were put on their legs and pushed forward to start walking. McKay tried talking again, and Ronon struggled some more, but it was to no avail.

As Rodney walked behind Ronon, he could see their capturers marching around them. They were human, which surprised him the most after seeing the faint bleeps on his life signs detector. They were very lean and tall, and didn't look particularly strong. Even though the one grabbing Ronon had no real problems holding on to him. They were all men, but their haircuts and haircolours differed. The man escorting Ronon had short, black hair. A bit like Sheppard, McKay thought. Even though this planet most likely lacked a store with the 'out-of-bed-look gel'. He tried screaming through his gag again, but ended up with a silent humming.

They hadn't walked all that long before they were halted. When Ronon turned around, he looked in the face of a young man. His look was one of stern determination, and surprised Ronon. With the man's strength, he had expected someone a little older than twenty. He eyed McKay to see if he was all right, and received a nod in affirmation. Ronon knew he had to find a weakness with these men. They didn't have much time to loose. He had to get Sheppard back to Atlantis.

McKay in the meantime was behaving. He hoped they would take of the gag so he could explain their presence and leave. Although he knew it was never that easy.

But it was. Once they halted, their gags were taking off and McKay could finally say what he'd been dying to say for a while now.

"Look, we are explorers. We are explorers from another planet, just travelling through your planet to see what's going on around this area of the galaxy. Nothing more. Then our friend was injured by one of those… bear-like creatures, I don't know what you call them…"

"Lorans," The Sheppard-haired man said.

"… Lorans? Okay, Lorans. One Loran attacked my boss, and we need to get him back to our planet before he… before he gets worse. Okay, fine. I am sorry I shot at you! But that was only because those animals attacked us and I thought you were them." McKay looked the man sharply in the eyes.

"Come." It was no request, but more like an order.

"We have to get back to our friend. You can come with us, and then we'll go with you. Maybe you can help him." Ronon was in no mood to leave Sheppard and Teyla by themselves for much longer. The fact that they had lost precious time didn't help.

The men looked at each other. The one that seemed the eldest nodded to the others. "Very well. With how many more are you?"

"Two. We're a team of four, and we left one behind to watch out for more of these creatures while we would look for wood." Ronon could be charming when he wanted to.

"Alright. Lead the way." The man signalled Ronon to lead them back.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teyla saw something approaching through the trees. She shot two shots in the air with her P90 to scare it off. At least that was the plan. All that happened was that the moving stopped. She was sure it had not turned around and left. She shot in the air again. And pierced her eyes towards the trees ahead of her. In the background she heard Sheppard breath heavily and moan. He knew there was a problem.

Then without warning something jumped at her from behind and pushed her forward. She fell towards the ground next to Sheppard, and tried to get on her back. A heavy body restrained her. It wasn't the creature; she knew that for sure. She kept struggling, but it didn't help. He held her hands behind her back.

Then the figure hauled her up on her feet and faced her. It was a man. He was very tall, she thought to herself. About two heads taller than her. No wonder he didn't have trouble restraining her, since he didn't look very muscular to her. But she was the living proof that didn't say anything.

"Who are you?" He looked her in the eyes, but held a firm grip on her arms. Meanwhile Sheppard was still breathing heavily, and had his eyes closed.

"I am Teyla Emmagan. We are explorers of planets. We came here to explore your planet when my friend here was attacked by a wild creature. He is severely injured and needs medical attention." She articulated that last bit.

The man gave Sheppard a brief look. "What attacked him?" He loosened the grip on Teyla.

"Some kind of creature. It looked like what we call a bear, but with very sharp teeth and claws. He bit him in the shoulder. He seems to have a back injury as well from the fall." She loosened herself from the man's grip, and sat down next to Sheppard. She grabbed the cloth and wetted it. While she was dabbing his forehead, the man sat down next to Sheppard and held his wrist. It seemed like he was checking his heartbeat.

"He's weakening. We need to take him with us. Wait here. I'll be right back." As he stood up, a longwinded whistle was heard among the trees. Teyla looked around, but knew she wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. The man nodded at her, and ran away through the trees.

He seemed to have a very quick and light tread. It was as if he hardly touched the leaves, and she could hardly hear a soft rustling for the bushes, leaves and branches.

She was now regretting that she hadn't told him about Ronon and McKay. He might encounter them. She could only hope for understanding on both sides. Right now, she mostly worried about Sheppard. There was no way they would be able to carry him back to the gate without hurting him more. And she knew it would take too much time to ask Atlantis for help. Either way it would take another ten hours or so before Atlantis would dial for a head's up.

She touched her comm: "Ronon, Rodney. Come in."

Silence.

"Ronon, Rodney. This is Teyla. Come in please." More problems. Great, she thought to herself. But she knew she couldn't leave Sheppard by himself. She had to wait for the man to return, and then had to tell him.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

About fifteen minutes went by and Teyla was beginning to get quite uneasy. Sheppard's condition was still the same: bad. She hoped the man would come back soon. Then she heard another rustling behind her. She raised her gun and turned around. It was a group of about ten men standing across from her amongst the trees and bushes. Ronon and Rodney were part of the group, but she saw they were tied up, and kept her P90 raised. No one talked for a while, until the man that Teyla had approached started.

He walked towards Sheppard, and kneeled next to him. Out of a pouch around his waist, that he wasn't wearing at their first encounter, he pulled out what looked like green leaves. He took out another plant that looked like Tenil on Athos. He rubbed the flower on the leaf. Then he proceeded to unbandage Sheppard.

"What are you doing?" She wanted to know what he was doing before he took those off.

"This is medicine against the poison released by a Loran bite. If he does not receive this treatment within the next few minutes, I might not be able to help him." His look was a trustworthy one, Teyla thought, so she nodded to him. They did not have much choice anyway but to trust them.

Turning back to the rest of the group, she saw Ronon and Rodney weren't so sure of their new friend's motives.

"Teyla," Ronon showed his concern.

"Why have you taken my friends captive?" Teyla thought she should concentrate on that while the man attended Sheppard.

"They were shooting at us." The man that held Ronon spoke. "That is a crime amongst our people."

"Did they explain why they did that?" Teyla said sharply.

"They did. But that does not take away that it is quite the unfriendly meeting."

"We were attacked by two animals. They must have thought you were those animals. You cannot blame them for protecting themselves. They were trying to help our friend." She nudged to Sheppard.

As a sign of their kindliness, another man stepped forward towards Teyla. "Lower your weapon. We will take care of your friend, and we understand the situation." The others released Ronon and Rodney. McKay gave his guard the usual angry look, and rubbed his wrists, if it were only to show his discomfort and disliking of the situation.

"I am done. We will need to transport him to the gate so that you can bring him back to your planet. Kalum, bring a bed for him." The man attending Sheppard stood up and ordered another to get it.

"Will he be alright?" Teyla asked him.

"We will have to see. He needs rest now, and I need to attend the wound every hour or so. It depends on how he responds to this treatment. I am Melik, by the way." He bowed to Teyla, who bowed back. "This is Rodney McKay, and this is Ronon Dex. Thank you for helping us." Teyla hoped they would begin to trust them more. "You will have to teach us how to attend the wound for when we get back to our planet." Melik nodded to her.

After another few minutes, three other men came running back to them. They were carrying a bed that was made from wood, but was covered with a thick red cloth. With care they lifted Sheppard, who had gone quiet for some time now, and gently put him on it.

"Come." The eldest said. "We have to hurry."

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sheppard had a difficult time staying awake. His shoulder hurt like hell. But most of all, his back hurt. Teyla had given him a painkiller, but that seemed to be working mainly for the wound in his shoulder, as he only felt a slight sting there. He had not really noticed clearly what was going on around him, until someone did something to his shoulder. The pain in his wound had soothed almost instantly when he or she - he hadn't had the energy to open his eyes - rubbed something in the wound. It might have taken a few seconds, but the pain released. Especially the stinging had gone, only leaving a slight pain of the torn flesh coming from within the wound. It felt much better, but now his attention went to his back fulltime. It felt as if he was stuck between rubble under a very large flat. His bones seemed to be all out of order. He was laying on something wooden, that he could clearly feel even with the cloth, and they were walking, even though the movement of the gurney was hardly noticeable to him. He tried to open his eyes, but another jolt of pain in his back prevented that. He wanted to reach out and adjust the bones himself by lifting his body a little. That intention was immediately shot down, as he felt restrained by some kind of rope. He hadn't even noticed they had tied him to the thing. He fell back onto it slightly. His consciousness had enough of the pain, and wanted to give Sheppard some time off. Quietly he fell into a disturbed dream.

All three looked at Sheppard in short intervals. McKay's breath had stopped a few times when he thought Sheppard's had stopped as well. A genuine sigh of relief had still followed each one, when his friend's chest heaped heavily and unsteadily. He was worried. He hoped the man, or elf, as Rodney satirically thought to himself, had rubbed something medical in there and not just a silly herb only used as superstition. From the outside, Sheppard's condition didn't seem to have changed at all after it, and that made McKay feel even worse.

"Did your friend have another injury aside from the shoulder wound?" One elf asked. Rodney turned around perplexed and looked in the bright blue eyes of the medicine man.

"Yes. Er.. no. When the beast attacked he fell on the already dead one and we think he hurt his back. We're pretty sure he hurt his back, yes." Rodney had to focus his attention again and not let his emotion do the talking.

"That explains it." The medicine elf looked at Sheppard and seemed to nod to himself, not showing any kind of emotion, neither worry nor relief.

"What explains what?" Ronon had been at the back, eyeing Melik. He paced forward as he was talking to Rodney.

"Your friend does not seem to be feeling better, yet I gave him the cure to the beast's poison."

Rodney stopped dead in his tracks and Teyla, who was walking next to Rodney, had an urge to reach for her P90. "Excuse me?" She asked. "So the beast's bite is poisonous?" She had feared it, but banned it from her thoughts until now.

"And you're telling us that now?" Rodney became infuriated very quickly right now.

Melik seemed to have treated the wound, and Teyla had hoped he had only treated it for that reason, not because of any poison. She was wrong, and the fact that Sheppard didn't seem to be doing any better, worried her even more.

"But it must be his back that is giving him problems now. No need to worry yet. We will see to him as we get to the gate." Melik had kept on walking. Rodney, Teyla and Ronon exchanged worrisome looks, but decided there was no use in asking anymore questions now. They had to get Sheppard to a safe, quiet place to be treated. They could not bring Melik to Atlantis, but they could bring Beckett to the planet with his medical kit if there was more need for the wound to be treated. Together they could hopefully do some good. With any luck these people could help him in the meantime, because it would take a while for them to get back to the city.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"We have to get back to Atlantis as soon as we can." McKay quickened his pace to come alongside Melik.

"We are going as fast as we can, but we have to be careful with the Lorans around. Melik seemed to spy around the trees continuously.

"So what are those creatures?" McKay wanted to know what exactly had bitten Sheppard.

"The wraith put them here. Our planet is tough to scout on, so they unleashed the beasts. If they cannot get us, then something else in their power will. Their bite kills, but they don't like human flesh. They feed on other animals in the forest." Melik seemed unaffected, but he had to deal with it all of his life.

"Really? But why do they bite then?" McKay was intrigued.

"We think the wraith made them intelligent. Every once in a while they come to the planet and unleash some kind of specific foods for them. The beasts devour it with everything they got." Melik halted, and indicated the others to be silent.

Somewhere behind the group, Ronon heard a rustle. "Behind us!" He drew his gun and started shooting into the woods.

Amidst the turmoil of gunfire, McKay heard Melik whistle, and noticed neither of the inhabitants were attempting to fight them off. They were looking upwards into the trees. Suddenly he saw something coming down the tree next to which Teyla was standing. "Teyla! Look out!" McKay shouted over the gunfire. Then he noticed it wasn't a beast, but a ladder. Melik climbed it extremely fast and easy. He was clearly used to it. McKay turned around to see what they were planning to do with Sheppard, fearing they had already left him on the ground while they made their way to safety. But as he turned around, he saw Sheppard hanging upwards onto the tree. They had strapped him to it, and were hauling him up from above.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the beasts growing in number, and slowly approaching the group. It seemed like they had a clear strategy in mind to get to them. Slowly more made their way to the trees, and were now ready to attack.

"We're being overrun!" Teyla shouted, as she clicked another mag in her P90. Ronon and she were firing their bullets, whilst from above the locals were firing arrows.

McKay, who had made his way up, shouted after Teyla: "I've got you covered! You two climb!" Approaching the trees with their backs, the beasts now came running towards them, seeing their targets disappear in the height. Whilst climbing the ladder as fast as they could, Ronon saw Sheppard was safe. From above them, he saw McKay was firing a little too closely to him and he heard the sound of the arrows passing his ears.

The beasts made a shrieking sound, and Ronon hoped that meant plenty of kills. Plus that those things couldn't climb trees. They did have some nasty claws after all.

Ronon and Teyla both got up safely. As they looked down, they saw several dead animals, while the others were hauling up the ladders. Ronon was happy to see the beasts were not able the climb, as they were jumping up the stumps but slid down.

Teyla looked around the area where she was sitting, and was amazed at the sight. High in the canopy, these people had built a hut, or a house really, on the thick branches of the trees. They were carrying Sheppard inside, as if it were the most normal task in the world. They had put a wooden floor on top of the branches, and Teyla was now sitting on it.

It looked very secure, and Ronon was already on his way to the house, not worried at all about a collapse. These people seemed to find it safe, so he should too.

McKay on the other hand seemed not so sure. But he knew other things were more important right now, so he slowly made his way to the house, trying not to look down.

The beasts still jumped up against the trees, while others sniffled amongst the dead. Teyla guessed they had killed about a dozen, but a same amount was still walking around beneath them, every now and again growling up at them.

As she looked around the canopy, she noticed there was a long path leading in between the other trees in front of her. The leaves were too thick to see how far it reached, but she reckoned they could probably get away from this area without the beasts being able to tell which way they went.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Sheppard had no idea what just happened. Vaguely he remembered shouting and gunfire, but he wasn't even sure if that had really happened, or if that were only his imagination going crazy from the pain. Then he remembered being able to look down onto the beasts. He was wondering if he had one of those near-death experiences. If he had been hovering above himself, watching how he was eaten by the animals. But now he was lying inside. He tried to stay awake, but it was difficult. He was sweating, and his back hurt a great deal. He was still breathing quickly and unsteadily. Opening his eyes again, he saw a man standing over him. He seemed to attend the wound, and looked sternly. Not good, he thought to himself. He saw a shadow coming over him.

Ronon had made his way into the building. Immediately he walked over to Sheppard, who didn't look too healthy. His face was way too white, and the water coming from his face was dripping on the stretcher. He was worried. They really needed to get him out of here fast. "Hey buddy, stay with us. We need you to take Teyla back to Athos next week remember? The season feast?"

Sheppard heard Ronon talk, and he tried to smile faintly. He wasn't sure if he succeeded or not, but Ronon seemed satisfied as he turned to the man who had just attended his wound. Sheppard had enough of his effort to stay awake, and let go again.

"We need to take him to the gate. Now. He's not well." Ronon looked Melik in the eyes.

"We will. I was just about to gather everyone and make our way to the gate via the trees. Those beasts below us will loose our track that way." He smiled gently at Ronon and left the house. Meanwhile, Teyla and Rodney came in. Teyla was surprised at the interior. It had a few tables, seats, and the couch looked quite comfortable with the same cloth they had strapped on the stretcher. Surprised, she turned back to Sheppard. "How is he doing?"

"Not good. We're taking him through the trees to the gate." Ronon walked to Sheppard, ready to carry him himself.

"I think it will be better if we do that." A woman came in and walked towards Sheppard. McKay was surprised that he was surprised at this sight. "Yes, Dr McKay, there are also women in this village." She smiled broadly at him. Word spread fast. She was about his age, and had long dark hair. "Don't think we do not hunt. It was just the man's turn today." More women came into the house, and together they lifted the stretcher and made their way outside. As smoothly as the men had carried him, just as smoothly the women walked with him amongst the trees. Teyla didn't even notice they were high above the ground, as the canopy here was even thicker than where the house was, and the wooden floor was very steady. It hardly crackled beneath their feet.

Ronon was actually quite enjoying this little walk. He knew he shouldn't, and he was very much worried about his friend, but walking around the trees at this height was something new, and he enjoyed the leaves tickling his neck and arms.

"Why do you people live in trees? Is it for those beasts?" McKay asked Melik, who also joined the group.

"Yes, because of the Lorans. Unfortunately we do have to leave the trees to find food and wood for our living, and so we do loose people from time to time." Melik looked saddened for a moment.

"But you have a cure for it, don't you?" McKay looked at him worried for his own leader.

"Yes, we do. But we don't always find our people in time. We usually go in groups, but they can also attack in groups. We have to plan our hunting trips carefully."

"Weren't you alone when you approached Teyla?" McKay got suspicious.

"Yes, I was. Usually the Lorans have certain areas where they roam, and that one was not one of them, so I dared to go out and find some herbs for my stew." McKay gave him a silly look and Melik assumed he didn't know what a stew was: "It's a recipe. My wife loves it."

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After a mile or so, they had to stop as the path ended. "We have to go by ground now again. It is only ten minutes left probably, so hopefully we can make that without any company." As if they did it every day, the women got Sheppard down to the ground safely. The trio followed, and Melik went down last. He kept eyeing his patient, to see if there was any change in his condition.

"We have to be quick. You two up front, and you two at the back," Melik ordered everyone to take a strategic position in the group. Ronon almost walked backwards at the back of the group to look for Lorans.

Fortunately, their journey to the gate went uneventful and quick. McKay dialled the gate, and as the event horizon swirled into life, he reached for his radio and yelled: "Sheppard needs medical attention! We need Carson to this planet now! He has a shoulder wound from a bite, and has hurt his back severely! McKay out."

It took a few moments until the reply came. "Understood, Rodney. Carson will be there soon."

After what looked like forever, the gate finally activated and Dr Beckett came through with three others carrying several bags and a gurney. "What on earth happened? Hello, I'm Doctor Beckett. Nice to meet you. I see you've bandaged him already?" Carson knew time was important and came right to business.

"Hello. I am Melik. Your friend here has bandaged the wound, but I have treated it with a combination of the Koli leaf and the Faryl flower." Melik assumed they knew the plants. "Why? How did he get the wound?" Carson looked at his fellow Lanteans.

"He was bitten. Poisonous apparently," McKay answered.

"Oh dear Lord. Are you certain this works?" Carson turned back to Melik.

"Yes, I am sure. The only concern is time. I have to advise you to keep rubbing this in the wound for as long as necessary." Melik took out some of the treatment he had made earlier and gave it to Carson. He looked at it from several angles, and then carefully put it in his backpack.

"I wish you good luck. You are welcome back anytime to take a further look around our planet. From a safe height of course, and hopefully without injuries." He bowed to them, as McKay once again made his way to the DHD.

"We would be honoured." Teyla bowed back. "Thank you very much for taking care of our friend. We are in your debt."

Melik smiled faintly. "Well let us hope he makes it first."

They were ready to go through the gate, and Teyla shook Melik's hand before heading through. "Be safe on your journey back into the trees."

"We will be alright. Thank you for your concern." Melik indicated to the others to make their way back with an empty gurney. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." They walked through the swirling blue.

On the other side, another crew was ready to receive Sheppard. They put him on a bed and raced him to the infirmary, followed by Weir, Ronon, Teyla and McKay.

"What happened?" Weir asked.

"Bitten by a poisonous animal, and hurt his back from the fall to the ground." McKay wanted to be short.

Carson carefully took off the bandages, and was not unsatisfied with what he saw. The wound was still there, but the irritation was not as bad as he had expected. Teyla came over and took a look: "That is much better than it looked when I bandaged it." That statement relieved much of the worry within all the people present.

"We will have to do a back scan now. I need you all to leave the room. I will inform you of my results as soon as I receive them. Now, off you go." He hushed the others out of his infirmary to do his job.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"How are you feeling, Colonel?" Teyla, Ronon and McKay were standing around his bed as Sheppard opened his eyes.

"Sore," was the first thing that came to his mind. His head hurt, his shoulder hurt, and his back hurt. He tried to move, but felt himself strapped to the infirmary bed. "What is this? Don't tell me I turned into that animal too?!?"

"No sir, just a precaution so you don't fall out of bed. It is quite small as you know." Carson had walked in. "So I see my patient is awake."

"Somewhat." He'd never loose his sarcasm. "So, why am I still in pain?"

"Headache is from the anaesthetics from the operation, shoulder is still quite the flesh wound, and your back.. Well, let's say I had fun putting your spine back in the right order." Carson had to smile over his little joke, as did the others, but Sheppard frowned and was not amused in the least. "What?"

"You had a problem with your back. I had to readjust some bones a bit. You made quite the nasty fall." Carson put his hands in his white doctor's coat.

"Oh, that." Sheppard tried to think, but couldn't quite remember it all.

"Now, you go back to resting. I'll let these three leave you alone for a moment. Off you go, shoo!" Carson waved with his arms for the others to leave.

"We'll be back Sheppard," Ronon said as he turned around.

"Yes, with the blue jello you so like!" McKay couldn't help it. Injury or no injury, they had to keep on smiling.

**The End**


End file.
